Surface cleaning and activation of substrates are two critical processes that affect the mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of protective coatings when deposited on the substrates. Surface cleaning removes the contaminants, for example, grease on the substrate, and surface activation introduces active bonds on the substrate thereby increasing the surface free energy. Conventionally, surface cleaning and activation of aluminum and its alloys are carried out by a wet chemical technique. A convenient and safe alternate to the wet chemical cleaning/activation would be to use plasma for the same purpose. Plasma surface pre-treatment greatly improves adhesion of coatings deposited, which is very vital for good corrosion protection and mechanical properties such as scratch and abrasion resistance. Cold and atmospheric air plasma treatments have been the most widely studied pre-treatments for Al alloys. This article will discuss the advancements in the use of plasma treatment on Al/Al alloys and its effect on corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of coatings deposited after the surface treatment.
Corrosion protection of chromium-coated steel by hybrid sol-gel coatings